Tell them honestly what the bully’s been doing and how you’ve tried to stop it. “School’s been really hard lately. There’s this girl who won’t leave me alone, no matter what I do. She’s always making fun of my clothes and the way I talk. I’ve tried ignoring her but she just won’t stop.” “There’s a kid who keeps shoving me around. At first it was only during gym, when we played basketball or soccer or something, but now it’s all the time, like when we’re going into classrooms or when he’s passing me in the halls. I’ve tried to laugh and make a joke out of it and he’s not stopping. It doesn’t hurt that badly, but it’s freaking me out.” Ask them to help you figure out a way to confront the bully or solve the problem on your own. “I want to fix it on my own but I don’t know how. What do you think I should do?” “I don’t really want you to get involved. I’ve thought about it, and it’s not like I don’t trust you or anything. But I know it’ll just make things worse. I want to try and fix it on my own and I wanted to know if you had any ideas on how I should do that.” If you feel like you’re in real danger, ask them to intervene. “There’s a whole group that’s been threatening me and saying they’re going to beat me up. I tried to get them to stop but nothing was working and now I’m starting to get freaked out. I need help.” “I thought I was just losing stuff, but the other day I saw her grab my phone charger out of my backpack and just take it. I think she’s been stealing from me, and I don’t know what to do.”